


The New York Party Job

by ladybug218



Category: How I Met Your Mother, Leverage
Genre: Crossover, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-02
Updated: 2012-06-02
Packaged: 2017-11-06 14:09:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/419759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladybug218/pseuds/ladybug218
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Parker hates grifting</p>
            </blockquote>





	The New York Party Job

**Author's Note:**

> written for a challenge at leverageland

Parker hated when a job required her to actually talk to other people. No matter how much Archie worked with her on her social skills, she always felt awkward about trying to grift people. She was a thief, plain and simple. She could pick any lock, break in to any safe and circumvent any security system. But trying to hold a normal conversation with another human being was beyond her.

When she realized that the only way to access the roof of the apartment building she needed for her heist was by showing up at some random New York party, she fretted over how to make sure she fit in. She mentally reviewed all of Archie’s lessons and stopped a random guy she ran into on the stairs. “You here for the party?” she asked with what she hoped was a flirty smile.

“Sure am,” he said. “I’m Carlos.”

“Nice to meet you, Carlos. I’m P… Patty,” she said, stumbling over the fake name she was using for this job.

Carlos held the door open for her. “You have fun tonight Patty.”

“Sure will,” Parker said, edging away from him and scoping out the room. She needed to figure out an unobtrusive way to get to the roof. While she was doing that, she drifted over to a table that had snacks on it. Archie always told her that standing by the food was a great way to avoid conversations and not look out of place at a party.

It worked for a while, until another woman walked up and said, “I love your dress! Where did you get it?”

“Oh, uh… I don’t remember,” Parker said. She was grateful for the interruption when a man in a suit walked over to her. 

At least until he started questioning her about who she knew at the party. “I work with Carlos,” she blurted out, afraid she was about to get busted and lose her one opportunity to get on the roof.

The guy turned back to his friends and she thought she was in the clear. When he turned back and asked if he could show her the roof, she immediately said yes. Of course, once they got up there, she discovered that he hadn’t invited her up there to rappel or jump to the next roof top, she had to figure out a way to ditch him. She agreed meet him outside but said she needed a few minutes to freshen up. They got in a cab to his place and as soon as they got out, she threw a right hook and took off.

Now that she knew the layout of the building and knew the roof would work, she needed to figure out a way to get back in with her gear. She remembered a TV show where a woman got in to a house by pretending to forget her purse and decided to try that. 

She was surprised when she showed up and saw there was another party going on. Of course, when she saw the guy from last night (what was his name again? Bill? Barry?), she pretended like she hadn’t decked him the night before. Apparently he either didn’t remember or was trying to save face in front of his friends, because he ended up telling her he was in love with her. That freaked her right out and she took off for the roof, hoping he wouldn’t follow. 

After she grabbed her gear, she made her way up to the roof and side-stepped the couple who were going at it like some animals on the Discovery channel. She figured they were way too wrapped up in their own activities to pay attention to her.

Sunday night was the night for the heist. Everything was set and she had her plane ticket out of the country. All she needed to do was get back in the apartment and gain access to the roof. She couldn’t believe that the people who lived there were having another party, but she wasn’t about to ignore her luck. She deliberately caused a scene with the guy from the other night (after finally remembering his name was Barney) and then headed up to the roof, hoping that if anyone noticed her, they would assume she was going to sulk. 

The heist went off without a hitch and she left New York several hundred thousand dollars richer. At least the payout had been worth the social awkwardness of the whole thing.


End file.
